Historical Tales, Vol. III | Page 4

verdant
charm of the scenery, which he could not praise too highly. A warm
love of nature is frequently displayed in the description of the country
which he wrote out for Ferdinand and Isabella, of Spain. Of one place,
named by him Puerto Santo, he said: "The amenity of this river, and the
clearness of the water, through which the sand at the bottom may be
seen; the multitude of palm-trees of various forms, the highest and most
beautiful that I have met with, and an infinity of other great and green
trees; the birds in rich plumage, and the verdure of the fields, render
this country, most Serene Princess, of such marvellous beauty, that it
surpasses all others in graces and charm, as the day doth the night in
lustre. For which reason I often say to my people, that, much as I
endeavor to give a complete account of it to your Majesties, my tongue
cannot express the whole truth or my tongue describe it; and I have

been so overwhelmed at the sight of so much beauty that I have not
known how to relate it."
One more island he was yet to see in this marvellous series of
discoveries,--the one called by the natives Bohio or Babeque, now
known as Hayti, one of the most beautiful islands in the world in the
splendor of its tropical vegetation. Columbus and his men could
describe it only by comparison with the most beautiful provinces of the
country from which they came, and in consequence he named the
island Hispaniola, or "Little Spain."
Here he found the people as innocent and simple in their habits as those
of San Salvador, living in huts built of the palm-branches, wearing no
clothing, for the air was always warm and balmy, and passing life in a
holiday of indolence and enjoyment. To the Spaniards their life seemed
like a pleasant dream, their country a veritable Lotus land, where it was
"always afternoon." They had no wants nor cares, and spent life in easy
idleness and innocent sports. They had their fields, but the food plants
grew bountifully with little labor. The rivers and sea yielded abundance
of fish, and luscious tropical fruits grew profusely in their forests. Thus
favored by nature, they spent much of the day in repose, while in the
evenings they danced gayly in their fragrant groves with songs or the
rude music of their drums. After the coming of the Spaniards the clear
tinkle of the hawk's bells as they danced gave them the deepest delight,
and for those musical toys they were ready to barter everything they
possessed.
In Hispaniola gold seemed more plentiful than the Spaniards had yet
seen, but they were still lured on to distant places, with the illusive
hope that this precious metal might there be found in quantities. Yet
Columbus felt forced to cease, for a time, the quest of the precious
metal, and sail for home with the story of the new world he had found.
One of his vessels had deserted him; another had been wrecked: if he
should lose the third he would be left without means of return and his
great discovery might remain unknown.
Moved by this fear, on the 4th of January, 1493, he spread the sails of
the one caravel left to him, and turned its prow towards Europe, to

carry thither the news of the greatest maritime discovery the world had
ever known. Thus ended in success and triumph the first voyage of
Columbus to the "New World."

ALONSO DE OJEDA AND THE CARIB CACIQUE.
Of the three ships with which Columbus made his first voyage, the
"Pinta" deserted the others and went off on a voyage of discovery of its
own, and the "Santa Maria," the flag-ship of the admiral, ran ashore on
the coast of Hispaniola and proved a hopeless wreck. Only the little
"Niña" (the "girl," as this word means in English) was left to carry the
discoverer home. The "Santa Maria" was carefully taken to pieces, and
from her timbers was constructed a small but strong fort, with a deep
vault beneath and a ditch surrounding. Friendly Indians aided in this,
and not a shred of the stranded vessel was left to the waves. As the
"Niña" was too small to carry all his crew back to Spain, Columbus
decided to leave a garrison to hold this fort and search for gold until he
should return. That the island held plenty of gold he felt sure. So
Captain Ardua was left, with a garrison of forty men, and the "Niña"
spread her sails to the winds to carry to Spain the wonderful news of
the great discovery.
La Navidad, or The Nativity, he named the fort, in remembrance of the
day